Priced at £53,400 after the Plug-in Car Grant, the Model S 60 offers a range of 248 miles and is available as a dual-motor 60D, which adds £4,400 to the list price and marginally improves the range.

But it’s a different setup to the old version, which was dropped last year. The battery has a 75kWh energy capacity, as in the entry-level Model X, but with 15kWh ‘locked’ via on-board software. It’s said this improves production efficiency compared to building two different battery packs.

In turn, it means buyers can upgrade to the full 75kWh for an additional £7,500 at the factory, or £7,850 after delivery, the latter just requiring an over-the-air software upgrade. Upgrading to the full 75kWh capacity increases the range to around 300 miles for the single and dual-motor versions.

Tesla says the new trim level is aimed at offering monthly costs similar to entry-level compact executive saloons – a market it will soon be targeting head-on with the smaller Model 3. The Model S includes a four-year, 50,000-mile warranty, or eight years and unlimited miles for the drivetrain and battery, and is said to offer reduced servicing and maintenance costs.

The newest Model S also features a covered centre console storage area, in place of the large bin under the screen on earlier versions. Autonomous emergency braking and side collision avoidance are standard equipment, while the Autopilot software is £2,200.

The Model S 60 and 60D are available to order now.